Letters to the Editor
FemmeJr
Published Letters: 49 Editor's Choice: 8
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Just Throw Out the Promise Ring Already
[Read the article: Teen pregnancy: It's baaaack]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ray Sharp (see letters above) already provided some excellant professional insight, so I'm just going to give you a bit of evidence from my experience. I've known quite a few girls who received Abstinence-Only Sex [Mis]Education and the ones that managed to make it through their early teems without getting pregnant either:
(A) Got married very young just so they could have the sex they'd been craving so badly but didn't want to feel guilty about
(B) Had an unplanned pregnancy eventually. Ask them why? "It just happened." Yup, a moment of impulsive passion they didn't prepare for.
I don't think kids should be out having rampant sex, but anyone who says complete and total abstienence is possible doesn't remember those incredible hormone surges they felt as teenagers.
And to "Anonymous" who brought up the "success" of Anti-Smoking and Anti-Global Warming campaigns, smoking and recycling are not inherent biological urges akin to breathing and eating. I'm not even sure it was the "campaigns" that made people conscious of those risks anyway.
I dread the day a president coins the term "War on Teen Pregnancy." Brace yourselves for a Baby Boom!
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Wal-Mart and Dirty Magz
[Read the article: Creepy panties for the 'tweens on your list]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Interestingly, Wal-Mart is more than happy to stock Cosmo and Glamour, even with plunging necklines and teasers such as "How to Have Orgasms All Night Long"
Oh yeah and don't forget the rather extensive book section filled exclusively with cookbooks and dirty paperbacks with Fabio-esque men and corsetted women on the covers!
Why the hypocrisy? Sexy reading material for women brings them million of dollars!
Unfortunately, the profits from Plan B are too meager for Wal-Mart to willingly ignore its principles once the joys of "500 Ways to Please Your Man" and "Forbidden Passions" have been realized.
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"Ryanair's calendar broke <b>Spanish law</b> by encouraging macho behavior and violence against women."
[Read the article: Girlies for a good cause]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This kind of made me laugh. The last time I was in Spain, I was privvy to many incidents of machissmo... they might as well lock up the whole country.
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Another nifty use of the veil...
[Read the article: Feminist hypocrisy on the hijab?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...is that it conceals any evidence of physical abuse. I'm surprised no one has commented on this fact before.
I'm sorry, but I don't even like the smell of something "potentially oppressive." The hijab is just another way of handling the all-consuming male gaze-- in Western culture we're taught to be slaves to it, and in Muslim cultures, women are forced to conceal themselves from it.
A woman's body is as beautiful and normal as anything else in nature... it should not viewed as dirty, an object to be exploited, or even a sacred ornament to be shrouded at all costs.
It simply is.
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How's that for "potentially oppressive", Tracy?
[Read the article: Quote of the day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was amused to see this quote posted by Tracy Clark-Flory, who, only a few posts down in her video for Broadsheet talked about the hijab as a "gray area" and something that could be used for empowerment as well as oppression.
Read you own literature, Tracy. The purpose of this rag is clear.
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Racism is Poor Character
[Read the article: Our new friend is a racist -- should we dump him?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Small town or not, racism is not "quaint" and is not indicative of a "conservative" upbringing. Conservative means things like fiscal responsibility and small government, not bigotry and ignorance.
Personally, I couldn't have a rascist friend not simply because I "disagree" with his or her views... I would not want to associate myself with someone who is hateful and intellecually lazy. A rascist is a person of poor character and cannot be trusted. After all, a big part of friendship is understanding and compassionthings that a racist is incapable of.
Also, the LW is not "teaching" her son to be tolerant and open-minded while enduring the racist comments and behavior of their friend... especially since the overwhelming sentiment in their community is that of bigotry. If they really want to set a good example, kick the racist to the curb.
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Thanks, I'm done.
[Read the article: Viagra for women?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I will never read this column again. In the course a few months, it has gone from being a forum for discourse, to being a message board for misogynist jackasses as well as lily-livered moral relativists. Bye, bye Salon.
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Scenarios to Consider:
[Read the article: Quote of the day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If prostitution is legal and the prostitute decides that he or she wants the act to stop, could either of the following happen?
(A)If the john doesn't stop, she can have him charged with rape.
(B)If the john does stop, he can sue her for breach of contract.
The legal (and more importantly moral and ethical) dilemmas posed by prostitution are insurmmountable in my opinion.
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@ Ethos, 1:43 PM
[Read the article: Quote of the day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Good point, I don't know I missed that one.
Another point I'm surprised I haven't seen brought up here: The last time I was in Amsterdam, I didn't see any Dutch women advertising themselves in red light district windows. In fact, they were Asian and North African.
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Equal Involvement & Accountability
[Read the article: Single mothers are ruining society!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First, let me say that, contrary to the whole Sex and City "women can have sex like men" attitude, I think that women do need to be more careful about their choice of partners and choice of behavior, simply because we will carry the burden of pregnancy and/or abortion, and a lot of STDs and STIs (even those easily curable) can cause greater havoc on our bodies than on men's.
But, I was also offended by MeganC's comment -- "There's no community or moral outrage against these girls" -- which implies that girls just sprinkle fairy dust on themselves and get knocked up.
This echoes the crux of the Slate article's argument: It sucks if the guy won't stand by the woman he impregnated, but ultimately, it's her fault for sleeping with him in the first place. I would say that both parties should "share the shame" but shame after the fact doesn't really prevent or solve anything.